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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25414873">Good Soldiers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wr1t3myWr0ngs/pseuds/Wr1t3myWr0ngs'>Wr1t3myWr0ngs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Remembering Yesterday's Tomorrow (In the Here and Now) [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Blood and Injury, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Emotions, F/M, Fix-It, I leave that to your imagination dear readers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Time to play: Is it just a make out or something more?, Umbara (Star Wars), its mild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:22:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25414873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wr1t3myWr0ngs/pseuds/Wr1t3myWr0ngs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rex wakes up, which isn't right. Not sure how, not sure why, but he does know one thing: It will not be the same.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, CT-5597 | Jesse &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, CT-7567 | Rex &amp; CT-5385 | Tup, CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano, Dogma (Star Wars) &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, Hardcase &amp; CT-7567 | Rex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Remembering Yesterday's Tomorrow (In the Here and Now) [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824871</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>252</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Waking Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Surprise!!!<br/>I know I said I would post this tomorrow, but I just looked at my work schedule and it turns out I won't have time to post it then. So, y'all are getting it today.<br/>I never plan a story too far ahead (it's a good way to ensure that I never actually write it), but it's looking like this part will be three to four (maybe five) chapters depending on how it progresses. I will tag as I go, so be sure to keep an eye on them with every update.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Waking up is odd, in no small part due to the expectation that he would never wake up again. For a moment he panics, disoriented and absolutely certain he's about to empty his stomach. The sensation subsides, but it doesn't stop the feeling of his head being overly full. Which is when his mind catches up with his senses and his whole being goes on high alert.</p><p>This isn't right; nothing is.</p><p>Its the feel of the planet, the taste of the air,  burned into his memory in a way that few things are.</p><p>He knows beyond any measure of doubt where he is, when he is: it's the start of what would lead to the second worst day of his life. Worse even, then finding out the news that Ahsoka had fallen to the hands of Vader.</p><p>
  <em>Umbara.</em>
</p><p>But that's not right. It <em>can't</em> be right. Confusion swirls round in his mind, the memory of her smile crisp and clear and impossible. Not if he's correct (<strike>he wishes he wasn't, but every sense is screaming that he's back, and after years of surviving on his intuition, he trusts it</strike>).</p><p>His arms around her.</p><p>Impossible.</p><p>The sight of her markings, stretched and grown, as they stand before a dying fire at the end of the war.</p><p>Impossible.</p><p>Unless...</p><p>And his mind —the part that wants to believe, to hope— catches on to the flaw in this pattern of denial. If it was a dream, how could he know about this place? If it was a dream, how could he know about Krell, Dogma, the treachery?</p><p>Impossible.</p><p>He scrubs a hand down his face, jarred by the lack of a beard, familiar and foreign all at once, and the feel of cool metal scraping his skin.</p><p>He pulls his hand away to look at it and for the third time that morning his heart catches in it's chest because it's there. Solid and silver, and very very real.</p><p>His ring.</p><p>His stomach churns, and he desperately tries to recall an exercise that Ahsoka had taught him years ago (or is it years from now?).</p><p>Breathe in for five.</p><p>Hold for six.</p><p>Exhale on eight.</p><p>Repeat.</p><p>It helps, and though his mind is hardly clear, it is better, less full, and it lets him order his thoughts.</p><p>There is still the possibility of this being a dream, some vision brought on by death that he gets to relive before ultimately passing. But that doesn't feel right. Even if it were, he can't imagine why his mind would choose this nightmare to — no. That's a lie. He does know why. Its the guilt, the loss, the pain. The knowledge that he could have done something different, anything different, changed the outcome.</p><p>His racing thoughts freeze.</p><p>
  <em>Change the outcome.</em>
</p><p>It's crazy to even think it, but then again, so was the notion that Ahsoka could love him too, and that happened. Has the ring to prove it. He lived the impossible once, why not again?</p><p>Resolve slips under his skin as the idea takes hold. Real or not, he's here regardless of what he believes, and it's an opportunity that he can't pass up. Won't pass up.</p><p>He needs a plan.</p><p>It's the first clear thought he has had since he woke up, and he holds onto it like a life line.</p><p>Points of interest play out before his eyes; things he wants to change, things he can't change, things that might be within his ability to influence.</p><p>The outline of an idea takes shape.</p><p>Maybe, if he plays his cards right, this might just work.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Phase One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Putting the plan into motion.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I have figured out that this story will have four chapters instead of the three I initially thought. I'm still writing this on my phone, and it looks like that's where it will continue to be written, so if you see any typos that I didn't catch, please let me know!<br/>I did borrow dialogue from the show, so if you recognize it, it's not mine.<br/>This is the longest chapter yet, and they only seem to be getting longer.<br/>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After hours of thinking, he has a plan. Not a good one, but this is Umbara he reminds himself, no plan is a good one, only some that have fewer casualties.</p><p>If he's honest with himself, he's not sure if this will have fewer casualties or not.</p><p>It occurs to him that he could just kill Krell (he refuses to even think of him as a General), and save everyone pain. As an idea it's extremely tempting. But if this is real — and he still has his doubts, but <em>if</em> it is— he needs to be smart. Can't let his uncertainty in his reality keep him from action. Otherwise, he knows he will get nowhere, knows that not being smart will get him a court-martial, or worse.</p><p>So, no. Killing Krell isn't an option, not at this point.</p><p>Getting dressed is something of an experience. He's done it hundreds of times, knows the motions by heart — almost on autopilot, which is his saving grace as he deals with the competing signals that say <em>this is normal</em> and <em>this is wrong</em>. He'd forgotten what it was like to have knees that didn't hurt with every step, forgotten how much smaller he was. Not that he has any shame over how he changed with the years, not the hair loss, or the aches, or the extra weight. He got old, was one of the few clones who did, and there's a lingering sense of guilt attached to that, but not shame.</p><p>It's with reluctance that he slips off his ring and carefully adds it to his tags around his neck. But it's for the best, he's already planning to change things, and the last thing he needs is to raise suspicion. Nor does he want to lose it in the field, where the odds of finding it in the crushing darkness of the planet are close to impossible.</p><p>For all that it's a simple band of steal, after two years of wearing it, he feels naked without it on his finger.</p><p>It's both hard and easy falling back into the role of clone captain; he catches himself at times about to say something, only to realize that what he wants to reference hasn't happened. Not yet. But at the same time, details are right there for him to grasp. Rules and battle strategies and conversations he hadn't known he had forgotten sit at the surface of his mind. </p><p>But there is nothing that can prepare him for the torrent of emotions he feels when he sees them again.</p><p>His brothers: alive and loud, cracking rude jokes and swapping the latest gossip.</p><p>Hardcase, who died on this planet doing the right thing because the right thing needed to be done.</p><p>Jesse, who inspires such a mix of emotions that Rex has to studiously not acknowledge them because once he does, he knows he won't be able to hold it together.</p><p>Dogma, headstrong and loyal, who Rex never saw again after he was taken away. Heartfelt sorrow rises when he thinks of the fate of his little brother.</p><p>Fives and Tup, and the tangled knot of guilt, pride, shame, and remorse that they illicit. Emotions he can't even look at obliquely, or they undo him. Not even to compartmentalize and examine later.</p><p>He's glad he has his bucket and the fraction of privacy it gives him. Especially as he makes his way to see Krell. He doesn't need refreshing on the orders to prep the troops, remembers having relayed them before he had fallen asleep. The clock is ticking. But he needs to know that he can trust his memory, trust in the reactions, and there is no better person to start with then Krell.</p><p>Being in the same room as the Besalisk makes his skin crawl, and the idea of showing him any inch of respect chafes. He stands at attention anyway; he has a part to play and will be damned if he makes things worse by blowing his cover.</p><p>The conversation goes down almost exactly as he remembers, with some changes. For one, it happens earlier, which means since he hasn't actually learned that they have cracked the Umbaran codes, he has to phrases the suggestion of using the Umbaran craft as a hypothetical — that he thinks they may be close to a breakthrough. The idea is met with all the disdain of the first time, the same feeling that the men aren't worth the mud on the Generals boots, and that the Captain is little better.</p><p>He's on his way out of the command center when the Besalisk offers one last parting blow.</p><p>"CT-7567, next time, I expect you to remove your helmet when speaking to a superior officer."</p><p>His teeth clench, and he forces himself to spit out an "Understood, General" in the most neutral voice he can manage without moving his jaw.</p><p>His blood boils all the way to the hanger, the knowledge that his memories (if that's what they indeed are) are reliable makes for a poor consolation to the dehumanization of being reduced to his number.</p><p>He tries to distract himself by running the plan over in his mind, but it feels too much like counting a casualty report before the end of a battle, daunting and setting himself up for heartbreak. So he switches tracks and focuses instead on just the next part in his plan: Getting his brothers on board.</p><p>Jesse, Hardcase and Fives — he is reasonably certain — will agree once they know that his goal is removing Krell from his position and stopping this massacre. Tup, he's aware, will take a little convincing, but the rookie has a solid head on his shoulders. Painfully shy at times, with a habit of letting others speak for — and over– him, but willing stand for what he believes in when push comes to shove.</p><p>The wildcard is Dogma (and even through his anger and nerves, he takes a moment to laugh to himself at comparing Dogma to a wild-<em>anything). </em>Loyal and honorable Dogma, who may not be as much of a rookie as Tup, but is still painfully young and so profoundly dedicated to the cause, he refuses to see the dark truth of the war.</p><p>It's a risk involving Dogma at all, and Rex wouldn't be surprised if he's reported for insubordination before the battle even starts. But the same something that told him to lean in and kiss Ahsoka on Endor, that told him it was his time to die, the instinct that told him that waking up wasn't a dream, is telling him that Dogma is important.</p><p>With no one else to bounce his idea off of, no experience in this specific situation to draw from, all he has is this gut feeling and the knowledge that last time, Dogma did what Rex couldn't and that it's not impossible to get the trooper to recognize the truth before it's too late.</p><p>He rounds the corner into the hanger and spots them. Instantly his hands tremble, and his breath shudders and the emotions associated with his brothers (so well buried by his anger at Krell that he had momentarily forgotten them) lodge themselves in his throat. He takes a second to compose himself because there is no way for him to face his brothers with his bucket on without arousing their suspicion. Pulling off his helmet and tucking it under his arm, Rex briefly lets his hand linger over the spot where his wedding ring rests against his chest, eyes closed, and centers himself, before plunging into the busy room.</p><p>He arrives a little late in the conversation, but it seems to have progressed the same without him. It's a relief and makes waiting for an opportunity to present itself easier.</p><p>"— 100 megaton yield. We won't even make it to the delta."</p><p>It Jesse who notices his arrival.</p><p>"Any news, Captain?"</p><p>Rex shakes his head.</p><p>"Afraid not. We are to proceed as planned."</p><p>Hardcase groans.</p><p>"Great, another suicide mission. The Capital is too well armed."</p><p>"Why does it seem like he has it out for clones?"</p><p>Tup punctuates his words with a wave of his wrench, addressing the group at large.</p><p>"I think you're all over reacting. Obviously, General Krell knows what he's doing."</p><p>Rex seizes his chance.</p><p>"That's what worries me."</p><p>He considers that he may have over-seized his chance because it's not just Dogma looking at him with open shock; he has everyone's attention. Hardcase looks equal parts proud and stunned, Jesse looks like he can't believe what he just heard, Tup is suddenly engrossed in the mechanics of the ship he's working on (but Rex can tell he's listening, he's holding the wrench backward and not really doing anything), and Dogma...</p><p>Dogma looks scandalized, but also curious.</p><p>Which...is better then Rex had hoped for.</p><p>Its Fives that concerns him, with his squint-eyed calculating look, like the Captain is a puzzle that he only just realized he's missing the pieces too. Concerning, because Rex knows how far this particular brother will go to chase a suspicion or put a mystery together.</p><p>If nothing else, it serves as a reminder to watch his words.</p><p>Hardcase, unsurprisingly, is the first to recover his voice.</p><p>"Care to elaborate?"</p><p>Rex opens his mouth, then hesitates, glancing around. The hanger is many things, open chief among them, and hardly the place for this conversation. There are too many people, too many ears around for his comfort — wants to smack himself for letting it happen in the open last time.</p><p>"Not here."</p><p>He leads them to the barracks, where they all settle in, exchanging glances when they think he can't see them (Fives hasn't taken his eyes of him once, and it's unnerving to be under such close scrutiny by this particular brother). Rex chooses to rest himself against the wall, crossing and uncrossing his arms before sighing deeply. Not sure how to start despite things going, so far, as planned.</p><p>"Well?" Jesse prompts.</p><p>"This is just talk, understand? If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and nothing will come of it." He's not, knows he isn't, but he's walking a fine line between plausible deniability and treason and is very aware which side his next words put him on.</p><p>Everyone nods, Dogma more to show his understanding then actual condoning of whatever is about to come out of his Captain's mouth, but Rex takes it as a good sign.</p><p>"I've had my suspicions for some time now that General Krell is no longer loyal to the Republic."</p><p>Chaos, absolute chaos, erupts as soon as the words leave his lips. He's not even sure who is saying what for a moment. Despite the pressing need for both time and discretion, he can't help the swell of fondness that rises as he takes in the scene: Hardcase's shouts that he knew it the whole time. Dogma and Fives who look to be gearing up for a fist fight, leaving Jesse and Tup torn between jumping in if need be to separate their brothers and staying out of it. Its familiar, and Rex never imagined that he would miss it.</p><p>It is also incredibly loud.</p><p>"OY!" </p><p>It would be laughable if the topic of conversation weren't so serious, with how quickly everyone settles down.</p><p>"Like I said, this is just talk."</p><p>Jesse snorts, leaning forward on his elbows.</p><p>"Big talk. What do you know?"</p><p>"I've been keeping an eye on his casualty counts, his strategies, his reports, and things don't add up."</p><p>Its a half-lie, he hadn't really heard or paid much attention to the General the first time, only the scuttlebutt that floated around the commanding officer's gossip network. But after Umbara, Rex had dug into the Generals history, read every report, counted every brother lost because of Krell, wondered how he could have been so blind.</p><p>"For someone who claims to be dedicated to ending the war in the name of the Republic, his strategies cost the GAR deeply in terms of both manpower and credits."</p><p>It goes without saying that the two, as far as the Republic is concerned, are essentially the same thing.</p><p>"That's what I've been saying!" Hardcase says from his bunk.</p><p>"But, " and Tup sounds horrified, looks it too. "The Generals a Jedi."</p><p>"They're still just people." Hardcase points out rather magnanimously.</p><p>From the corner of his eye, Rex can see Dogma shaking his head, eyes closed, a pained expression on his face.</p><p>He wants to go over, see how the trooper is doing because he knows what it's like to have your whole world view shaken to the core, but his attention is split as Jesse starts talking.</p><p>"So, what do we do?"</p><p>"It's obvious, isn't it?" Fives steps forward from where he had been leaning against the opposite wall, punctuating his words with his hands. "Krell has turned traitor and is killing brothers; we need to remove him."</p><p>Dogma shoots to his feet.</p><p>"What you're suggesting is treason."</p><p>"I'm being realistic."</p><p>The two advance on each other, voices rising with each passing second.</p><p>"You're planning a coup!"</p><p>"Against a General that knowingly sends his men out to die and undermine the entire cause of this army? Yes!"</p><p>Rex darts in, physically putting himself between the two, a hand on each man's chest.</p><p>"Fives, control yourself. Dogma, take a walk."</p><p>"Sir-"</p><p>"That's an order, Trooper!"</p><p>The air is tense as the two go eye to eye, and Rex sees the moment when Dogma realizes that the Captain isn't on his side, and for a second, Rex wonders if the trooper will listen.</p><p>"Yes, Sir."</p><p>It's spoken with more vitriol then Rex had known Dogma was capable of, hissed and quiet. Everyone watches in silence as he leaves the room, exchanging glances in shock, and looking to him for direction. Rex, suddenly drained, doesn't have the energy for a proper dismissal and vaguely waves everyone off, waits for everyone to shuffle out before burning his face in his hands. </p><p>That...could have gone better. Even so, he doesn't think Dogma will report him, but only time would tell what the fallout would bring.</p><p>He's on his way out of the barracks when he meets Fives at the door coming back in, who waits for the door to shut behind him before crossing his arms and putting on his "don't give me any karking shit" face.</p><p>The Captain's heart clenches. It was easy enough to ignore his emotions when there was more than one brother in the room. But like this, face to face with nowhere to retreat to, he can feel his mask cracking.</p><p>It must show too, because Fives goes from stern to worried, arms falling to his side.</p><p>"Are you alright, vod?"</p><p>He considers lying. Secrecy, especially in his position, is paramount. He dismisses the thought rather quickly, in part because he knows he's a horrible liar. Sure, he can pull off small parts on missions when required, but there is a very good reason he wasn't assigned to the Couricanti Guard. He can't bluff for the life of him, and not even nearly Forty years' life experience had changed that.</p><p>But it's not the only reason.</p><p>Messy, tangled emotions aside, this is <em>Fives. </em>One of the most loyal and trustworthy brothers he has ever had the honor to know.  Who has always put his brothers first, even in the most insane and ridiculous of situations. If there is anyone, anyone, that Rex could trust with his secret and not worry about being handed over for reconditioning, it would be him.</p><p>And he is incredibly tired. Not even a full day, and the weight of his secret has eaten away at him. He hasn't felt this alone since his first days on the run from the Empire — before he had found Wolffe and Gregor — surrounded by unknowns, hunted by people he considered family (they didn't stop being his brothers just because the chips were activated, and that knowledge had only made it worse).</p><p>He exhales a shuddering breath, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks, and wills himself to meet Fives gaze.</p><p>"No, I'm not."</p><p>Like that, the dam breaks and he buries his face in his hands. Distantly, he's aware of being led over to the nearest bunk and sat down, of Fives gently rubbing his back through the plastoid (it doesn't do much, but the gesture is nice). He's not sure how long he cries for, but when he's done, Fives silently hands him a rag, and he's able to muster a weak smile in return.</p><p>After a moment, Fives speaks.</p><p>"Want to share?"</p><p>Rex hesitates, brain still a little foggy from crying, and mentally checks over what he can and shouldn't say.</p><p>"It's...complicated."</p><p>He tries his best, details what he can in broad strokes. The end of the war, the fact they lost, him going into hiding, joining the rebellion, his death, and waking back up. He doesn't mention the chips; it's neither the time nor the place to worry about them, and he knows the moment that Fives finds out about them, he would take on that responsibility too.</p><p>When he's done, Fives is silent for a few moments, elbows on his knees, fingers steepled and pressed against his mouth. When he does speak, he looks at the Captain.</p><p>"There's more, isn't there?"</p><p>Rex nods, and sighs.</p><p>"Yeah, a lot."</p><p>"How old were you when...?"</p><p>Fives trails off, and Rex isn't sure if it's because he doesn't want to say it or doesn't know how to phrase it kindly. But he knows what his brother is asking.</p><p>"When I died? Thirty-Nine."</p><p>His brother laughs.</p><p>"Should I start calling you Gramps?"</p><p>Rex groans, because if there is one thing he doesn't miss about the rebellion, it's that particular call sign, and gives Fives a playful shove.</p><p>"Respect your elders."</p><p>They grin at each other for a moment, but the light mood doesn't last.</p><p>"So, Krell's fallen?"</p><p>Rex nods, and Fives goes quiet once again. In the vacuum that the silence leaves, a question pushes to the front of Rex's mind. He's afraid to ask, not sure he wants to know the answer, but certain that he needs to.</p><p>"You believe me?"</p><p>"I don't know yet."</p><p>It hurts to hear, but he can't fault his brother, because he knows how crazy it sounds, and if the positions were reversed, Rex is sure he would feel much the same.</p><p>"But, " Fives continues, "I can see for myself that something isn't right with the General, and if you say that it's because he's a traitor, I believe you."</p><p>The ARC trooper squares his shoulders and looks at Rex, certainty and determination radiating off him.</p><p>"I'll follow your lead, Captain. What's the plan?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The alternate summary for this chapter was: "In which Rex has issues, but body positivity isn't one of them, and Dogma is the living embodiment of the Tower, reversed." Poor boys need a hug and a good therapist.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Battles Between</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter gave me some trouble and I'm not entirely happy with it, but I hope you enjoy it! It does have some lines taken from the show, so if you recognize them, that's why. I'm still writing this on my phone, so if you see any mistakes please let me know.<br/>I have also added some things to the tags, so give them a look. If there are parts that you feel I should tag let me know and I will.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As much as Rex wants to move directly onto the next step in removing Krell, there is still a war that needs to be dealt with. Having Fives in his corner helps immensely as both a sounding board and support. It has taken a weight off his shoulders that he is infinitely glad he no longer has to shoulder alone. However, he had forgotten the specific brand of insanity that comes from working with his brothers, and while he is happy (among the other emotions that swirl dangerously close to the surface) to have them in his life again, it does, at times, make him wish his hair was longer so he could pull it out. Especially as he, Jesse, Tup, and Hardcase listen to Fives' infiltration plan.</p><p>"Youwant to<em> what?"</em></p><p>He knows his plan to deal with Krell isn't perfect, but he hopes beyond all sense of reason that it's better then what he just heard Fives suggest.</p><p>"Have the men and myself fly the Umbaran craft into the supply ship and blow up the main reactor."</p><p>Last time, he hadn't asked for details. The thinking being he couldn't report what he didn't know. If this was the same plan that Fives had used to take down the supply ship, Rex knows why it went so horribly wrong.</p><p>"You are aware that General Skywalker was already one of the best pilots in the galaxy at that time? And that most of it was an accident?"</p><p>His brother looks sheepish. From his perch atop a table, Rex pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. Despite knowing the answer, he asks his next question anyway.</p><p>"How many men are you planning to take up?"</p><p>"It would be us three, Sir."</p><p>Rex looks at Jesse who has momentarily looked up from cleaning his blaster to indicate Fives, Hardcase, and himself. The Captain unconsciously brings a hand up to stroke a beard that isn't there, thinking over the specifics that he was privy to the first time around — regretting his lack of involvement and the subsequent lack of information.</p><p>“If you have a better plan, we’re all ears.”</p><p>He thinks of Ahsoka, of her uncanny ability (force given or natural, he never knew) to plan on the fly. To take a pile of unknowns and somehow rearrange them until they created actionable intel. There was a reason she was one of the leaders of the Rebellion, and he, her right-hand-man.</p><p>But she's not here. Surrounded by a room of living ghosts, the only thing he has of her is his ring and the memories of advice they had shared. One in particular whispers across his mind.</p><p>
  <em>Work with what you know.</em>
</p><p>So that’s what he does.</p><p>He thinks about the Separatist ships he's been on. The narrow passages designed for droids and not much else. Considers the size and challenges of the Umbaran crafts. Three would be a tight squeeze and tricky to maneuver in such a limited space, even with the best of pilots, never mind when operated by foot soldiers who considered demolishing a hanger a successful test run.</p><p>"Send only one pilot."</p><p>"Without backup?"</p><p>Tups concern is valid, a brother without backup was always a dangerous thing, for the mission and the soldier both. But he doesn't have a better plan, not one that would work with their limited number of men, resources, and time. He can only pray that what he can change will be enough.</p><p>Rex leaves that part out when he explains his thinking, although Fives gives him a brief side-eye. He watches as each man mulls over the idea, weighs the pros and the cons, considers their part.</p><p>"I'll do it."</p><p>His heart sinks.</p><p>"The Captains right, and I have the most experience with the tech."</p><p>"Hardcase, " He isn't sure what to say without giving himself away to everyone in the room. When he had first woken and started putting together his plan, he had considered that there may be things he couldn’t change, couldn’t make right. Hardcase it would seem, is one of those things. A knot of emotion catches in his chest as he considers the very real possibility of watching his brother's death a second time over. Eventually, he settles on the only question available to him.</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>His brother squares his shoulders, easy-going manner set aside.</p><p>“I am, Captain.”</p><p>The room is silent for a moment, heavy with the knowledge that this very well may end up a suicide mission.</p><p>"What about—"</p><p>At that moment the doors to the barracks open, cutting Jesse off mid-sentence, revealing Dogma, head bent over a datapad and lips silently moving.</p><p>The collective group freezes, including Dogma who seems to realize he has the full attention of everyone in the room. His head snaps up and eyes go wide, jaw clicking shut, and for a second Rex thinks he can see fear in his brother's eyes. But his time to observe is limited, as Dogma, without so much as a word, about faces and leaves the room with the speed of a man being chased by cannon fire.</p><p>The group exchange glances and all Rex can do is shrug at the inquiring look Fives sends his way, just as stumped by his brothers behavior as the rest of them. He had expected suspicion and anger, or even the cold shoulder. Those he could understand, but fear?</p><p>He shakes himself internally. His concerns about Dogma hardly the top of his priorities at the moment.</p><p>"What about Krell?" Jesse repeats, looking between Fives and Rex in equal measure.</p><p>"We need a Jedi."</p><p>Hardcase scoffs and crosses his arms.</p><p>"Yeah, I don't know if you noticed Captain, but they're in short supply."</p><p>"I'm just saying that his ability to receive transmissions with new orders is awfully convenient, considering they're supposed to be being jammed."</p><p>Jesse looks up from cleaning his blaster with a critical eye.</p><p>"You think he's lying about communications with the 212th?"</p><p>Rex nods.</p><p>"It's a possibility. And it won't hurt to try and get General Kenobi here to assist."</p><p>"I think, " Tup starts slowly. "That I might be able to convince a few of the men to try and establish contact against orders. No promises, though."</p><p>Rex looks over to Fives, who nods in agreement.</p><p>"That's all we can ask for Tup."</p><p>Tup inclines his head at the ARC Trooper.</p><p>"And what if, and that's a karking large if mind you, we can't get the General to assist?"</p><p>Rex sighs.</p><p>"Plan B and prey."</p><p>----</p><p>Dogma was acting strange.</p><p>Usually, Tup wouldn't have paid much attention to his brother's odd habits. But he had never seen him that upset before or that close to exchanging blows with another brother. He understands Dogma's anger; he does. Is still reeling from the implications himself, even though nothing he heard really surprised him when he thought about it. But he also understands, as best as he can understand his brother, why it would affect Dogma more than the rest. He’s aware that he is the closest to Dogma, one of the few Vod’e who took the time to get to know the tightly wound trooper. And as a result, is far more used to the quirks of behavior than most and has learned to read Dogma with some degree of accuracy.</p><p>But he’s not sure what to make of his brother's recent behavior; walking into rooms, only to turn back around when he spots any of them, constantly reading at every available opportunity. Not that Dogma hadn’t done his share of recreational reading, but this was something different. The few times Tup had found him in the past hours, Dogma seemed to be enthralled, reading as if his life depended on it.</p><p>And now he is missing from his bunk.</p><p>It feels like avoidance, but never in his short life has Tup known Dogma to do anything less than face a problem head-on.</p><p>It concerns him, for Dogmas sake. His one consolation being that he knows his brother would ask for help if he needed it.</p><p>Whatever it is Dogma is up to, he only hopes it won't cause a problem for the Captain.</p><p>-----</p><p>Watching the sky for the impending destruction of the Separatist ship is by far the tensest twenty minutes of Rex’s life, and he intends to spend them with his eyes glued to the sky as if he might be able to see the raging space battle and the one small ship that contains his brother if he looks hard enough. Futile, he knows, but it's all he can do. The troops mill around him, coming and going at their own paces, running information back to the main tower, or just enjoying what rest they can in the middle of a war zone. At some point, Fives joins him.</p><p>"Any word?"</p><p>"Not yet, Captain."</p><p>"Any sign that Krell suspects?"</p><p>Fives shakes his head.</p><p>"No, Sir. I don't know what you told him about the takeoff, but he doesn't seem suspicious."</p><p>Rex didn't expect he would be, since he's almost certain that Krell knows what they are doing despite the lie Rex had fed him. Suspects that Krell knew the first time too, and that everything that followed was designed to torture himself and the men as much as possible.</p><p>They laps into silence and Rex returns his focus to the sky.</p><p>"Permission to ask a question?"</p><p>Rex glances at his brother, gauging the request.</p><p>"Granted."</p><p>"How did this mission go, last time?"</p><p>Fives is looking at him, but Rex can't meet his eyes and hopes that his brother will let the topic go with a simple answer.</p><p>"It was a success,"</p><p>"Rex, " The plea is soft, and it strikes him how much younger his brother is; the gap between them able to be measured in decades instead of a few years. Aware that behind the bravado and the swagger, Fives is as scared as Rex, wondering if he just sent his brother to his death.</p><p>He's hesitant to talk about it, the memories from Umbara old wounds that never fully healed. The sound of distant artillery and shelling only hammers home the futility of attempting to avoid them.</p><p>"I wasn't as involved last time, didn't really condone the course of action. I don't know what went wrong exactly, but from what I gathered something happened to sound the alarm, and the Seppies raised the ray shield around the main reactor. It had to be detonated by hand."</p><p>"Which brother...?"</p><p>"Hardcase."</p><p>The inhale of breath is sharp, and its what makes Rex finally look at his vod'ika, sees the pain in his eyes.</p><p>"Fives, I'm sorry."</p><p>"He knows the risks."</p><p>Rex isn't sure who the phrase is trying to console, Fives, or himself. He reaches out a hand to the back of his brother's neck, gently bringing their foreheads together. He can feel his little brother tremble ever so slightly under his touch, and he gives what he hopes is a comforting squeeze. They stay like that until the Captain feels the ARC Troopers breathing even out. When he pulls away Fives looks better, less shaken, and although his grin isn't as large as normal, it's still there. (He marks it down in a new column in his heart, right next to Ahsoka's smiles and laughter, counting it as a small victory against a war that's designed to cause as much misery as possible).</p><p>"Thanks, Gramps."</p><p>Despite himself, he laughs. Perhaps, he thinks, the nickname isn't so bad if it brings a little joy.</p><p>He's about to respond, when a flash of light overhead draws their attention; Bright orange and yellow that bleeds through the dark clouds. Hardcase did it. But he doesn't let himself relax, not yet, because for all the changes made, he still doesn't know if he changed enough.</p><p>His heart pounds in his ears and he's fairly certain that he's forgotten to breathe. The seconds tick by, each one seemingly longer than the last. Beside him, Fives is tense; eyes also fixed to the sky, waiting and watching.</p><p>The relief that foods him when he spots the speck of light approaching is indescribable. However, it quickly fades when he notices the erratic flight, the way the ship lists dangerously to one side, and (when it gets closer) the sparks that trial behind it.</p><p>The landing, if it can be called that, is rough, and when the shield comes down, Rex is there ready to catch his brother if need be. It's a good thing too, as Hardcase tumbles from the seat, blood leaking from under his helmet. It takes a matter of moments to find the pulse at his brother's neck and only then does Rex breathe. Unconscious, but miraculously alive.</p><p>Boots on the pavement prompt him and Fives to look up.</p><p>"The General requests your presence."</p><p>---</p><p>Knowing the execution order is coming doesn't make it any easier to hear or make him want to strangle the fallen Jedi any less. Especially as Hardcase, barley able to stand from what Rex strongly suspects is a concussion, has to be assisted to his mark.</p><p>“Do the prisoners request blindfolds?”</p><p>Tup looks disturbed to even be asking the question, and Rex’s heart goes out to him. No brother should have to face killing their own family.</p><p>
  <em>Not right.</em>
</p><p>He has to check again to be sure he isn't imagining it, but no, it is Tup at the firing line.</p><p>Fives has begun speaking, but Rex doesn’t pay attention, too busy doing a headcount, grateful for the lack of helmets obscuring faces. He does it again, just to be sure.</p><p> Dogma isn't there.</p><p>Distantly, he's aware that Fives speech is winding to a close, but only just. Too busy running over the possibilities, the implications, and drawing a blank.</p><p>The sound of blaster fire draws his attention violently back to the present, and he is no less relieved to see that the firing squad had come to the same conclusion as before.</p><p>Fives glares at him as he walks up.</p><p>"A warning would have been nice." The ARC trooper hisses under his breath.</p><p>"And miss that speech? Look at them Fives, " he surreptitiously gestures to the men as he begins undoing the binders. "Sometimes we forget that we're more than walking numbers, especially under men like Krell. They needed to hear that."</p><p>The binders come off with a click, and Fives rubs his wrists.</p><p>"What makes you so sure?"</p><p>"Because I needed to hear it."</p><p>The ARC Trooper looks at the Captain for a moment, eventually nodding his head in acceptance.</p><p>"Besides, " Rex cocks an eyebrow, "I thought you didn't believe me?"</p><p>Fives punches him in the arm.</p><p>---</p><p>To say that Krell is displeased at the news of the failed execution would be an understatement. The fallen Jedi is livid, and standing before him held in a fourhanded grip, forced to look up to meet the massive force users gaze, Rex is reminded of standing up against the Imperial AT-AT on Seelos, just him, Gregor, and Wolffe; Easily uncrushable and very small. </p><p>“You are making a mistake by crossing me clone.”</p><p>It is fortunate then, that he isn't immune from the insanity that plagues his brothers, and that his tolerance for disrespect dwindled significantly with age.</p><p>“Its Captain.”</p><p>The lack of ‘Sir’ does not go unnoticed, and Krell’s grip on his arms tightens to the point of bruising. Rex does not look away. Neither does Krell, not even as a trooper relays the incoming transmission.</p><p>Rex is aware that were they alone, Krell would drop all pretenses of being a General. When the Besalisk does let go, it's accompanied by a shove and despite his best efforts, Rex stumbles.</p><p>“Lock the traitors in the brig. You have your stay of execution, Captain.”</p><p>The way Krell says his title slides like ice down Rex’s spine and leaves a rancid taste in his mouth.</p><p>“We take the Capitol now.”</p><p>---</p><p>The battle passes in a blur and by the time its over, he's shaken to his core. The reality of it so much worse than the nightmares ever were. Worse because he can still taste the ion trace from the blasters that lingers in the air, the screams of his brothers ringing to loud in his ears. Unable to console himself with the knowledge that it was just a dream.</p><p>The blood caked into his blacks.</p><p>He's only one man he tries to remind himself, only one man against a tide of destruction and death. He <em>can't</em> change everything.</p><p>Intellectually he knows its not his fault — that it's Krell and Krell alone that is responsible for every life lost in this sector of the planet.</p><p>It doesn't help, knowing that the battle - the loss- was designed to be a form of torture, not when it worked so well. Not when he still blames himself—his orders for the troops to not wear their helmets into battle being too little, too late, with far too many brothers dead by friendly fire.</p><p>Blames himself for every brother lost.</p><p>For Waxer.</p><p>His fists clench in a mix of rage and sorrow, before pulling himself back to present. They have minutes left before they go to confront Krell, and he needs to focus as they go over the plan one last time. The prison is hardly private, but at this point, discretion no longer matters. He knows that every brother, not just the little band he has assembled, will stand with him.</p><p>"I still say we should just kill him."</p><p>By rights, Hardcase shouldn't even be out of medical, but Rex strongly suspects that only death would have kept him from joining the fight against Krell at this point.</p><p>He shakes his head.</p><p>"And I'm right there beside you Vod, but unless we want to end up shipped back to Kamino for reconditioning, we need-"</p><p>"Evidence."</p><p>All four heads whip around. There, standing in the door to the cell, looking haggard and broken is Dogma. No one says a word as he makes his way toward the group and silently extends a datastick, hands trembling.</p><p>"I couldn't get what you said out of my mind." He addresses Rex. "About how things didn't add up. So I read his reports, ran the numbers. You were right."</p><p>His face is stony, but in his eyes, Rex can see the betrayal, the anger, the overwhelming sense of loss that comes from having ones whole world come undone around them.</p><p>"He didn't even hide it."</p><p>Ah, he read <em>those</em> reports. Brutal and full of plain language detailing his choices. The kind of reports where it didn't make sense how they could have gone without being flagged, not until Rex had learned the truth about Palpatine, just one of the many puzzle pieces that fell into place. Rex carefully takes the datastick.</p><p>“How do I help?”</p><p>He looks from Dogma to the cylindrical tube. Evidence, he had said.</p><p>"Is this what I think it is?"</p><p>Dogma nods.</p><p>"Every file, every report, every statistic." His smile is a wry, bitter thing. Sharp and self-deprecating, edged with the anger of a man who will never again be played for a fool. "It's amazing what you can get access to when someone thinks you're in their back pocket."</p><p>Then they have all the evidence they need.</p><p>"Tup, any word from the 212th?"</p><p>"No, Captain."</p><p>His frustration slips past his lips as a growl and he rapidly does the mental calculations, handing the datastick back to the tattooed Trooper.</p><p>"Dogma, get this to General Kenobi. I don't care how or who you have to go through to get it to him, but it's for his eyes only. Understand?" </p><p>The Trooper salutes, new purpose lending strength to his bearing, and as he barks out a "Yes, Sir!" he almost looks like the Dogma Rex remembers from the start of the campaign.</p><p>He looks around the cell at his brothers, fully kitted and armed, faces set with grim determination.</p><p>"Alright, men: Plan B."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Appearances and Regulations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Plan B is put into action.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Holy toledo y'all, Part 4 is done and it is by far the longest thing I have written to date (possibly ever where fiction is concerned). For those who have stuck with this story and who are reading it for the first time: Thank You! You are some of the most inspiring and nicest people I have had the pleasure to meet online. </p><p>TAG UPDATE:<br/>I have updated the tags once again, so please read them. There is canon-typical violence in this chapter as well as descriptions of injuries and blood. I tried not to make it graphic, but there is some detail involved. Please read accordingly.</p><p>Part 5 of this series is in the works and should be up sometime in the near future, and I hope that if you have enjoyed reading this that you give the next section a look.<br/>I pulled inspiration for some of the dialogue from the show, so if you recognize it, it is not mine. And once again this story is written on my phone, so if you see any mistakes please let me know!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Rex isn't happy with resorting to Plan B, however, he's not surprised that Plan A didn't work out. Disappointed, but he knew that it was a long shot getting a Jedi to intervene.</p>
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  <p>At least Plan B has the benefit of working before, but it will still be a bloodbath. Not even the best of troops can hope to match an armed and trained force user, and it's not vanity when he says that his men<em> are </em>the best.</p>
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  <p>He felt like a cheat when he had described the plan earlier.</p>
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  <p>
    <em>"We lead him to the nearest Vixus."</em>
  </p>
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  <p>
    <em>"You want us to go near one of those things on purpose?"</em>
  </p>
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  <p>
    <em>Rex couldn't blame the men for their incredulity, not after one of the creatures had nearly eaten almost every person in the room only hours before. He's not exactly thrilled at going near the sarlac-like thing either. But they aren't fast enough to take Krell in a fair fight, not with his four lightsabers and absolute willingness to maim anyone in his path. </em>
    <em>(Too many limbs, too much speed, too little empathy.)</em>
  </p>
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  <p>
    <em>Every word from his lips felt like a lie, a stolen idea that he parroted as his own. In a way, they were. It had been Tup who had thought of using the Vixus to capture Krell, a stroke of genius that had ended a horrific fight, and it grates that Rex can’t give the trooper the recognition he deserves. </em>
  </p>
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  <p>
    <em>"What the Captains trying to say, " Fives chimed in after watching Rex flounder for a moment. "Is that we need this to be on our terms. He's not going to come quietly if he is a traitor."</em>
  </p>
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  <p>
    <em>Rex nodded, both in thanks and in confirmation.</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>"If you think you have a shot, take it. The faster the fight is over, the better it will be for everyone, but we need to aim to arrest him if possible."</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>"And if we can't?"</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>"Have your recorders on and let the bastard incriminate himself."</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>In true GAR fashion, the plan had spread like wildfire, and soon enough, every last soldier knew their task.</p>
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  <p>Rex hardly needs to issue the orders, but he does anyway, following the formalities because he knows that, despite what General Skywalker may sometimes claim, appearances and regulations do count.</p>
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  <p>The ride up the tower is quiet, and from the corner of his eye, Rex can see a few of the younger troops nervously adjust the grip on their blasters. He has to fight the urge to fidget or even reach up and place a hand over his ring, doing his best to project confidence for both the men and himself.</p>
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  <p>Krell is waiting for them, facing the window, one set of hands clasped behind his back.</p>
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  <p>"CT-7567, explain yourself."</p>
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  <p>Rex readies his blasters, switching off the safeties and aims at the Besalisk.</p>
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  <p>"Pong Krell, you are under arrest for treason against the Grand Army of the Republic and the Galactic State which it serves. Do you comply peacefully?"</p>
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  <p>Krell turns, malice written in his face and eyes.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"You know, I'm surprised you were able to figure it out for a clone. Tell me, when did you first suspect?"</p>
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  <p>Rex ignores the question, refusing to be goaded by the man before him any more than he already has.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Do you comply?" He puts more force into his words than before, using a tone of voice he would never dare to use on a commanding officer.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Krell looks around, almost lazily, and takes in the various troopers - all with blasters pointed his direction – and smiles in a way that is anything but friendly.</p>
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  <p>"You think you can stop me, Captain? I have trained for more years then you have been alive, and I will not be stopped me some <em>creature</em> bred in a tube."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Without further preamble, Krell pushes out with the Force, sending every trooper slamming into the walls. Those unfortunate enough to have stayed on their feet during the assault are quickly cut down by the blue-green pair of saber staffs, and Rex watches from his place on the ground as the fallen Jedi jumps out the window.</p>
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  <p>He scrambles to his feet and rushes out the door, brushing past medics on their way in to try and stabilize those they can. He does not envy them their job, one which he knows will only get harder the longer Krell goes unattended to.</p>
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  <p>The sound of boots fills the night air as soldiers pour from the base and onto the hard pavement of the airfield. Krell is nowhere in sight, but the evidence of his departure lies scattered on the ground.</p>
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  <p>Passing the bodies outside the airbase doors, Rex has to swallow past the rising bile as he takes in his brothers: some still breathing, others lifeless. He charges on more determined than before, no time to pause the pursuit and tell the living from the dead before crashing into the underbrush.</p>
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  <p>The forest is quiet and incredibly dark, the helmets night vision thrown off by the red glow of the bioluminescent trees.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Does anyone have a visual?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Negative Captain, he's —"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The sound of a lightsaber crackles through the comms, the distinctive hiss as it cauterizes and cuts, distorted and warped by the tiny speakers.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"You should have kept quiet, Captain."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The back of Rex's neck tingles as Krells' voice echoes around the landscape, seeming to come from all directions, shifting on a nonexistent wind.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"You've led them to slaughter in a fool's errand. I have seen the future Captain, your life, and that of every clone is expendable. You and your so-called brothers: specialized rats bred in a lab for just one reason. The Jedi will fall, and in its place, a new order will rise and rule. Yet you rebel in a misguided notion of liberty, and now your men will pay the price."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Displayed on his hud, Rex can see the blinking light of the recorder, and even though he hopes it won't come to it, they need a back up should Dogma fail to reach General Kenobi. He keeps Krell talking, shouting into the eerie red nothingness, turning all directions in the hopes of catching sight of the six-limbed man.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"You're a Separatist?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Krell's laugh is merciless.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Not hardly, I serve none but myself. But soon, I shall reap the rewards, and my new master will grant me a seat of power in the Empire that shall arise."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A twig snaps from somewhere above their heads, and it's all the warning Rex and his men get before Krell is in their midst, dual staffs slashing without remorse, skillfully dodging every shot aimed his way. Rex is too busy firing his blasters, shouting for his men not to get too close, to stay out of lightsaber range, to notice at first. Eventually, he hears the shout of his name, and the Captain spots one of the men signaling to something on the ground roughly fifty yards away. Despite his dread and increasing panic, he grins to himself, and relays the information into the comms, alerting all units to draw Krell his way.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Navigating the vine limbs of the Vixus proves challenging, especially with the Besalisk hot on his tail. He should have known that things were going too smoothly, should have expected that something would go wrong (and it makes him sick to his stomach to think, however briefly, that the death of so many of his brothers is according to plan). When it happens, it stirs up disappointed resignation and panic in equal measure. Time seems to slow as his foot catches on something, and he watches the rapidly approaching ground in horror, twisting at the last second to avoid landing face first atop his blasters.</p>
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  <p>His blunder is all it takes for Krell to be on him, lightsabers baring down with unnatural swiftness. With the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Rex freezes, and he can feel the heat of the green blade through his neck gasket as it flies toward its target. He should move, or fire a shot -anything- instead, his thoughts drift to Ahsoka.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her skin set aglow by the light of a dying fire beneath a star-studded sky; dirt-covered and sweaty, kneeling next to him as they sew seeds on Lothal; graceful in battle, twisting through the air, elegant and lethal and incredibly kind.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>All at once, the heat from the blade disappears and time reasserts itself, leaving the Captain momentarily disoriented until he can process the slashing of sabers far overhead as Krell battles against the vine wrapped around his waist. There is no time to berate himself for either his blunder or for freezing up, and he shoots to his feet, blasters drawn and firing.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Around him, his men are doing the same, some aiming at Krell while others aim for the flailing arms of the Vixus as it attempts to grab anything within reach. Undercutting the din of battle, Rex can make out the tell-tail click of blasters being switched from stun to kill, can feel the increase of energy electrify the air like an oncoming storm. A shot fires and between one heartbeat and the next, Krell is falling, having managed to sever a limb and free himself.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He hits the ground hard, and the shooting ceases, soldiers approaching with a careful tread, ready for the Besalisk to spring up. Instead, Krell lets out a ragged cough into the dirt, and Rex cautiously approaches, DeeCees at the ready, and carefully rolls the fallen Jedi onto his back. Blood gurgles from Krell's chest where a blaster bolt made its home in a lung, <s>whether intentionally placed or a mistake is unclear and, frankly, Rex doesn’t care.</s></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Krell has moments left, and the Captain is seized with the need to make eye contact with the force user one last time. Slowly, he kneels and pulls off his bucket, taking a moment to make sure he has the Besalisks attention.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I've lived your future, " he whispers, quiet enough that the various recorders can't pick it up. "It doesn't last."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It is satisfying to watch Krell's face fall as he searches the force, feels the veracity of Rex's statement— Realizes that for all his gifts and abilities, a clone knows more than him. Satisfying to know that its the last thought he will ever have.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Words form on the force users' lips, but all that comes out is a cough followed by a rattling breath and then - nothing.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Everyone is quiet for a moment, as the enormity of what just happened registers with the gathered troops. Some take off their helmets, most simply stare in shock. It doesn’t last long; the area is still a live war zone, and all too soon, the sound of steadily approaching enemy bombardment draws everyone from their stupor.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rex pulls on his helmet and orders everyone back to base. It takes some time, now that they aren’t running after the Besalisk - longer than it usually would have, considering they are hauling Krell’s corpse and the numerous wounded with them. Some of the men had wanted to leave him where he lay, claim that it had been lost in the darkness and confusion of the planet. But the Captain hadn’t wanted to risk being ordered to send anyone out on a retrieval mission. Didn’t want to risk losing more men over the fallen Jedi.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>No one speaks as they trudge through the dark landscape, and in the pressing silence, one thought relentlessly hammers away inside the Captains mind:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>What now?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His instincts still tell him that this isn't a dream, and Rex is still inclined to trust them. But with his mind no longer occupied with the survival of his men and himself, the doubts that had reared their head when he had woken have returned. Is this death? If so, what does it mean for him now that Umbara is over? Or if it's a dream? Or, even more daunting, what if it's not? What if, by some insane occurrence, its exactly what he thinks it is?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He’s no closer to an answer by the time they reach the base, and in his meditative state, he almost misses the arrival of General Kenobi’s transport.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Captain!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rex has to work to keep his face impassive, even as he salutes (its a different kind of pain seeing Kenobi again then it was from seeing his brothers. Less piercing, more bittersweet, aching like a day-old bruise that you can’t help touching, just to make sure it's still there).</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“General,”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I would ask what’s so urgent that you would send a trooper to collect me in the middle of a delicate campaign, but your man was very thorough in his explanation.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Behind the Jedi, Rex can make out Dogma - a little cut up and bloodied but in one piece - side-eyeing the trooper next to him. Rex’s heart stops for a moment as he takes in the distinctive orange paint of his batchmate. He should have known that where General Kenobi goes, Cody would follow, but somehow it hadn’t clicked. (Cody shifts and Dogma nervously straightens. There’s a story there, and Rex resolves to get it later —if there is a later).</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>If Obi-Wan notices the Captain's momentary discomfort, he doesn't say anything.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We had hoped that you might have been able to assist us in dealing with Krell.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I see.” The Jedi pauses for a moment, taking the time to really look at Rex. His next words are terribly kind, and the clone's heart swells with affection for the man.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“How are your men, Captain?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He thinks of Dogma, the betrayal and the pain that he knows the rookie must still be dealing with, thinks of his own distress at watching Krell cut down brother after brother and chooses his words carefully, voice low.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We lost a fair number in the fight, and I think the men are more shaken then they would like to admit.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Obi-wan looks sad at the confession but nods understandingly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And Krell?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Dead, Sir.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Someone comes up beside him; he's not sure who, but judging by the sound of the footfalls, he thinks its either Jesse or Fives. Looking confirms that its the former.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Report?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“All men accounted for, Sir. Wounded are being taken care of now.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rex nods.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Get some rest; you've all earned it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kenobi waits for Jesse to leave before he picks up the conversation.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Who fired the shot?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Truthfully, he doesn’t know. In the chaos and confusion, the blaster fire had blurred together. But it was his mission, his orders that the men followed, his responsibility. His fault.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I did, sir.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Obi-Wan sighs, looking pained, and Rex understands. A General is dead, an act that cannot go unseen to, regardless of if the general was corrupt or not —there must be a hearing.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I'm sorry, Captain, but I'm afraid I have to place you under arrest."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rex nods solemnly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>Appearances and Regulations</em>, his mind supplies, and as much as he doesn't like it, he would rather it be him who takes the brunt of a Court Marshal than any of his brothers. Something he had taken into account when he had first come up with his plan.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kenobi nods to one of his men, who steps forward with a pair of cuffs.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Those won't be necessary, will they Captain?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Mild amusement flickers through Rex at Obi-Wans tone, and he flashes a brief smirk at the General, who, despite the regret etched on his face, has an answering twinkle of humor in his eyes.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"No, Sir."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The trooper shrugs and puts away the restraining devices then reaches out and relieves the Captain of his DeeCees's, before leading him by the elbow toward the tower and the brig.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Behind him, the General calls out.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We’ll get you out of this, Rex.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He doesn't need to ask who “we” is.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>----</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Despite the exhaustion that has settled in his bones, Rex spends his first hour in the brig with his head in his hands, sedately running them over his buzzed hair. Various people stop by, sometimes offering updates, sometimes to provide words of support. They don’t stay for long, recognizing the fatigue, and leave the clone to himself. As a result, he doesn’t look up right away when he hears a set of boots approaching. What does make him look is the sound of his cell door opening, and he is just in time to see Fives, dressed in his blacks and some of his armor, walk-in before shutting the door.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Hey, " the goateed man greets, walking over to the bunk and sliding down the cell wall, sitting on the ground.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Hey." Rex returns.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They sit quietly for a few moments, both worn and weary from the horrors of the past 24 hours, the sound of their breathing echoing slightly off the walls.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I didn't think anyone was allowed inside the cell."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Fives huffs in what could be amusement.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I don't think anyone is taking your confinement too seriously after what Krell put us through. Pretty sure they would let you out for a walk as long as you have supervision."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They both laugh without much heart before lapsing back into a silence that seems to be building a soft sort of anticipation — a tension, not unpleasant or overwhelming, but constant and steady. The seconds stretch into minutes, all the while the anticipation builds, culminating in a sigh from Fives.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I believe you."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rex, arms resting on his legs, looks at his little brother.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I can't explain it, but —” the ARC trooper shakes his head as if doing so will set his thoughts straight — “you know things. Things you shouldn't have been able to know. And I can't put my finger on it, but you're different, smile more but at the same time are so...sad."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He looks at Rex.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"And I don't know what it is or what it could be, but we've seen some crazy shit together. Dying and coming back to the past is as good an explanation as any. So, I believe you."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rex doesn't know what to say, doesn't think they are words in basic or mando'a that can encapsulate the affection and love he feels for his brother. He settles for a smile, and it's probably wan and maybe a little teary, but he hopes it can say what he can't.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Thank you." He tries, and the ARC Trooper nods, smiling back.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Fives eyes catch on something on Rex's person, and the blonde watches as his brother's face goes from understanding to curious.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"What have you got there?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rex looks down and sees his wedding band, still attached to the chain, in his hand. It's an old habit, fiddling with it when thinking or just bored, and he hadn't realized he'd started playing with it until his brother had pointed it out.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Is that a ring?" Fives sounds positively gleeful, and he pulls himself up onto the cot, seating himself practically in Rex's lap to get a better look.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"It is!"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Get off–!"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It takes some effort, removing Fives from his lap, and it almost dumps both of them on the floor in the process. In the end, they both stay on the bed, Fives leaning far too close into Rex's personal space.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I didn't think you were the jewelry type."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"For the right person, I am."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He's said too much if the unholy grin spreading across his brother's face is any indicator. He would be more upset at his slipup, if it weren't for the matching grin he can feel on his own face and the lightness in his heart he hadn't expected to feel for weeks.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"What kind of person could be crazy enough to catch your eye?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Watch your tongue, that's my wife you're talking about."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Fives' face is priceless as he processes Rex's words and their implications, and Rex can't help himself. The laughter that bubbles out of him feels both freeing and wrong; Wrong after all that happened, when so many of his brothers lay dead, after so much loss; Freeing, to know that he still can, that despite everything he did, Krell couldn't take this from him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And he knows his vod'ika has a million questions, can see them flitting about behind golden eyes. He prepares himself for the onslaught when Fives opens his mouth, only for the question to be transformed into a jaw cracking yawn.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Rex shakes his head, amused and fond.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Get some sleep, Fives."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His brother looks like he's about to protest when a second yawn overcomes him and grudgingly concedes the point.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Fives stands, one finger pointed at Rex.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I want answers.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Later, " Rex promises, all but shoving his brother out of the cell. "Sleep well, Vod."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The door closes with an electric hum, and Rex makes his way back to the bunk.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Exhaustion claims him the second his head touches the pillow, and all too soon, he finds himself falling asleep.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He keeps falling...</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Falling...</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Falling...</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Falling through blood and death, the noise of battle raging around him. It is a kaleidoscope of sound and color, screams, and blasters blurring together until it's impossible to tell the sound of his voice apart from the bark of his DeeCees. Through it all, he spirals from battle to battle: the heat and sand of Geonosis, his armor still unpainted and new; to the frozen moon of Pantora, snow gear frosted over and growing heavier with each passing minute; the choking taste of the Blue Shadow Virus, each breath harder to take than the last, until all at once, his feet hit the deck, sending shock racing up his calves and spine.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The ambient noise of the star destroyer is defining after the chaos of the battles, the hum of hyperspace hardly even background to the ringing in his ears.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He can hear himself speaking, but it's without his permission, his words and actions separate from his thoughts.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes, Lord Sidious.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>No, </em>his mind screams, and within the confines of his own body, he rails against the inhibitor chip. <em>No, </em>he screams as the doors open, and he pulls out his blasters, leveling them at the young and confused face of Ahsoka Tano. He fights harder, thrashing against the walls of his skin, will be damned if he lets the order take him without a fight. <em>Find him. Find him. Fives. Find him! FIVES!</em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Its a battle unlike any other, waged against himself, the most important in his life. But he cannot hold out, cannot win, and at the end of things, he fails. Mind exhausted and worn, he loses what little control he had scraped together, pulls the trigger. The programming takes over, and Rex can do nothing but watch as he and his men fire volley after volley at the former Jedi. Locked in the deepest corner of his own mind, he can only pray that they don’t find her as they comb the ship. Silently weeps when she steps out, distracted from the droids behind him long enough for the electricity to coarse through his body - vision going white.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The light spreads, at first cold and sharp, but soon enough gives way to the soft yellow glow of the morning sun filtered through closed eyes.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He's roused by the sensation of fingers lazily dancing over an exposed hip.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Morning."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her voice is light and playful, and he takes a moment to grin into the pillow before opening his eyes and looking behind him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>In the light of dawn, with the sheets pooled around her waist and sleep shirt slipping down one shoulder, she looks like an angel: her blue eyes sparkle, and the sound of birds caries through the open window.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Morning."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He rolls over to face her, and she combs her fingers through his beard, eliciting a smile at the sensation.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We slept in, didn’t we?” his voice rumbles in his chest. Beside him, Ahsoka hums, lips pulled up in a grin. There is a glint of mischief in her eyes that holds the promise of something more, coy and inviting, and no small amount exciting.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Just a little."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Then we better get up,”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He can’t hide the smile in his voice, but two can play at this game. Rex sits up and makes a show of stretching - careful not to look at her or else lose his resolve- and he can feel her eyes on him, searing into his skin. In his mind's eye, he pictures her smile growing, teeth bared, and cheeks dimpled. A quick peak confirms his suspicion.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Long day ahead of us, can’t start if we’re still in bed.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She slides up next to him, turning his face toward hers with a delicate finger, one of her white eyebrow marks raised in challenge.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Is that so?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her grin is infectious as she settles herself across his hips in a fluid motion, her head tails swaying with the movement. He brings both hands up to her waist to steady her and to hold her close, thumbs running gentle circles over ochre skin.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Prove it, Captain."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She leans in and kisses him, slow and deep, and he lets his hands wander underneath her shirt. Over soft skin and up, following the dips and curves of her body, feeling the strength hidden there. Her hands wander in turn, roaming over his chest and arms, slipping under the waistband of his sleep pants. He can feel her tremble oh so slightly under his touch, muscles coiled with anticipation. It spurs his hands higher, fingertips ghosting over sensitive flesh, cupping a -</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A loud bang jolts him into consciousness, and Rex instinctively reaches for the warm body that should be there with him. Instead, his hands find nothing but air, and it takes him a moment to process the too harsh lighting and hard metal bunk, the hum of the energy shield that separates his cell from the rest of the room.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>For the second time in as many days, Rex's mind must grapple with waking up after expecting to never do so again. But for the first time, he has more than an instinct or a gut feeling to go off of. He's in the same room, the same place as he remembers last being, has two sets of memories for how yesterday went down, and it pushes the few doubts he had left about his reality from his mind.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The future as he remembers it plays out in his mind's eye, and the question from earlier pushes to the forefront:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>What now?</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you have stuck with this story this far, or just checking it out for the first time, I want to say thank you. I was super uncertain of this story when I first started writing it, but you have been so amazing and supportive, it's given me the confidence to keep going.<br/>This chapter, and every one in this series, is dedicated to you. Thank You.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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